White wine production in Europe is under threat due to climate change

Rising temperatures could make the country too hot for white wine production, including the famous Tokai wine, the Independent writes. "I don't remember ever picking this grape so early... We came at least a month early," said Lake Balaton vintner László Kerek, attributing the situation to climate change. A report from the National Weather Service showed that this July was the hottest July in Hungary since temperature tracking began in 1901. According to Peter Szabo, a climate scientist at Ethwos Lorand University, Hungary's wine regions saw a 25% increase in degree-days, which means heat build-up until the crop reaches maturity. "Our models show that the number of degree days will increase and Hungary's climate will no longer be ideal for white wine," Szabo said. He suggested that Hungarian wine producers, more than two-thirds of whom grow grapes for white wines, may have to adapt and switch to producing red wine, a variety better suited to warmer climates. However, Hungarian ...